In early September I will be flying out to Tanzania with a group of friends to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Standing Voice (www.standingvoice.org) which focuses on improving the lives of people afflicted with albinism in Tanzania.

Apparently climbing Kilimanjaro is no easy feat. Only 66% of those that attempt it actually make it.

At the ripe age of 55 (even if this is the new 54) I will be the oldest member of our group. Despite this handicap, I have begun a grueling training program, which I don't mind saying is not exactly second nature to me, but I intend to make it to the summit under my own steam rather than on a stretcher between two sherpas.

Albinism is an inherited condition that affects the production of melanin in the body.  People with albinism are extremely vulnerable to skin cancer, 98% of the albino population die from skin cancer before the age of 35.

Worse still, those born with albinism in Africa are likely to be ostracised and violently abused by their community. This problem is at its worst in Tanzania, where – since 2007 – 75 people with albinism have been brutally killed for their body parts to be used in witchcraft rituals, widely believed to bestow good fortune and wealth.

Those who have survived have been left mutilated and since the killings began, more and more children with albinism have been abandoned by their parents and left to live in government camps for their protection.

Standing Voice is a force for change, a glimmer of hope for these ostracised people.

Please sponsor me to take on Mount Kilimanjaro for this worthy cause and make a real, tangible impact on these people's lives.

All pledges, no matter how small will be gratefully received. If it does happen to be loose change, please deliver this in person :)

Thank you all in advance

Stephen